It's that awful time of the season once again....the international break (we can hear you all groaning from back here) but that doesn't mean any rest for the wicked as David Moyes continues to plot a path to Premier League survival.

West Ham's small squad has been hit by international call-ups this week and there won't be that many squad players knocking around at Rush Green this week after they all returned from Miami in the early hours of Saturday morning.

There will be a few though who will be getting put through their paces by Moyes, Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay as there is still much to prepare for over the next few weeks.

Moyes gave the players and his coaches some time off over the weekend once they returned from the baking heat of Florida to the sub-zero temperatures of London but they are back down to work at the start of the week.

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Players-wise from the first team, Adrian, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Patrice Evra, James Collins, Pablo Zabaleta, Mark Noble, Arthur Masuaku, Jordan Hugill and Andy Carroll will all be knocking around the training ground. They had a game to prepare for, let's not forget, but more on that later.

Who could be brought in?

No doubt some of the U23s will be shipped in from Chadwell Heath up the road to come and make up the numbers at Rush Green. Declan Rice and Josh Cullen are away on international duty as well so there is a chance for Nathan Holland, Marcus Browne and Nathan Trott to come in and impress the manager.

Moyes is a big fan of Holland, who has just returned from a long spell out injured with a hamstring tear he picked up when training with the first team in Moyes' first week in charge. He's also been keeping an eye on Browne, who has been getting rave reviews in the U23s this season after making his own injury comeback as well.

West Ham youngster Nathan Holland (Image: West Ham United)

Holland returned to match action last week and said: "Considering how long I've been out injured, I think I have coped mentally very well. I

" feel like it has actually made me mentally stronger and determined to recover. While it's been frustrating, I think the experience overall has helped me in some ways and made me a better player."

Nathan Trott and another youngster in Rihard Matrevics - who went on pre-season tour with the first team ahead of the campaign - will likely work alongside Adrian and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods.

Those players in injury rehab

Andy Carroll will no doubt be splitting his time between the grass - where he won't be dping too much work - and the treatment room, where he will be doing work. Carroll joined the trip to Miami last week as he has progressed well from the hairline fracture in his foot, with Moyes hopeful the striker could be fit for the final two or three games of the season.

Pedro Obiang, Winston Reid, Sam Byram and Edmilson Fernandes are all long-term absentees and nowhere near a return to training whatsoever so they will continue to be worked on in the treatment rooms at the training base.

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Some first team players and a few of the U23s headed literally around the corner from the Rush Green training ground to the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Wednesday - home of the U23s, by the way - as the Hammers beat Dagenham & Redbridge in a much-need fundrasing friendly for their non-league neighbours.

Moyes insisted he would take as strong a squad as possible to the game and he needs to do that after five defeats in the last seven games and confidence shot after the 3-0 thumping by Burnley.

Arthur Masuaku got a much-needed run out having been out for the best part of three months thanks to his six-game ban for spitting. January transfer window signing Jordan Hugill got a rare outing as well and was on the scoresheet.

SWANSEA, WALES - MARCH 03: David Moyes, Manager of West Ham United looks on during the Premier League match between Swansea City and West Ham United at Liberty Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

Pre-season training camps?

Whether his tune has changed or not we don't know after what has happened on the pitch in recent weeks. but as far as we know, this hasn't changed.

Moyes said back in the first week of March: "I’ve already outlined the pre-season programme and I’m due to go abroad and check out a few training camps during the international break this month."

Having just got back from Miami, he has something to compare them to. The Hammers were situated at Barry University in Miami Shore, a facility sometimes used by the NFL side Tampa Bay Bucanneers.

Planning a pre-season tour was almost an afterthought last season as the Hammers struggled on the pitch but Moyes is taking the bull by the horns and using the break he has got to make sure something is put in place ahead of the next campaign. Whether it is him or someone else leading that tour, who knows.

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The players will return in drips and drabs after this weekend but for Moyes, none of his players are having to travel an extraordinary distance. Senegal are playing in France next Tuesday against Bosnia-Herezegovina so a potential long trek for Cheikhou Kouyate is dramatically reduced.

Javier Hernandez will have a long journey of the Hammers players as he is set to play in friendlies for Mexico against Iceland and Croatia in San Francisco and Dallas across the pond in the USA.

Manuel Lanzini was recalled to the Argentina squad for their friendlies against but somewhat handily he wont be going to South America. The Argentines take on Italy at Man City's Etihad Stadium on Friday before travelling to face Spain on the Tuesday and that's at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano ground.

The majority of the friendlies are on Friday and Tuesday, meaning the players should be back on Wednesday before strating training with West Ham once again on Thursday ahead of the Southampton game two days later.

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